Excavating wheel arrangement



Sept. 17, 19 8 sovg EXCAVAT ING WHEEL ARRANGEMENT Filed March 28, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 i L I INVENTOR.

zad//aw Java Sept. 17, 1968 1.. SOVA 3,401,474

EXCAVATING WHEEL ARRANGEMENT Filed March 28, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a N g g $5 8%? l0 [0 20 20 'l s; 3 is 3, L: 7 3 26 6 l3 7 [u 'f i i INVENTOR. i xad/s/ozr Java United States Patent 3,401,474 EXCAVATING WHEEL ARRANGEMENT Ladislav Sova, Unicov, Czechoslovakia, assignor to Unicovsk strojirny, narodni podnik, Unicov, Czechoslovakia Filed Mar. 28, 1966, Ser. No. 537,754 Claims priority, application Czechoslovakia, June 16, 1965, 3,883/65 6 Claims. (Cl. 37-189) This invention relates to rotary excavating machines, and particularly toan excavating wheel equipped with buckets for receiving the excavated material and for discharging the same in'a predetermined cycle.

Conventional excavating wheels are equipped with buckets which receive the excavated material and whose contents are discharged either by gravity or by centrifugal forces. Wheels with gravity-discharge buckets are limited in their permissible maximum speed, and wheels having centrifugal discharged buckets cannot be operated below a fixed minimum speed of rotation. All other design variables of a conventional rotary excavating machine must be adapted to the rotary speed limitations inherent in the type of bucket employed.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of an excavating wheel and associated devices which may be operated at any desired rotary speed.

With this object and others in view, as will hereinafter become apparent, the invention in its more specific aspects provides an excavating wheel arrangement in which two approximately circular wall members are mounted on a support for rotation about a common axis. The members are axially connected by two interposed pairs of spacer bars. The pairs are circumferentially spaced 180 from each other. One bar of each pair extends between the rim portions of the wall members, and the other bar is near the axis.

Two bucket members which at least partly consist of pliable sheet material each have two terminal portions which are fastened to the spacer bars of an associated pair. Because the length of the bucket member is greater than the spacing of the associated spacer bars, the bucket member is normally slack and defines a bucket.

The wall members, and thereby the entire wheel assembly, are rotated about their common axis, and means are provided for cyclically tensioning and slackening the bucket members in response to the rotation of the wall members. The tensioning arrangement essentially consists of a tension roll received in each bucket, guides for guiding each roll in a radially extending path, and actuating means which reciprocate the roll in its path when the wheel rotates, the arrangement being such that one roll moves radially outward while the other one moves radially inward.

Excavating tools on the rim portions of the wall are respectively associated with the buckets.

Other features and the attendant advantages of this invention will become readily apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention when considered with the appended drawing in which:

FIG. 1 shows as much of a rotary excavating machine equipped with the wheel arrangement of the invention as is needed for an understanding of the invention, the view being in radial elevational section on the line II in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 2 shows the most important elements of the apparatus of FIG. 1 in elevational axial section on the line 11-11.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, there are seen two arms 20 which are elements of the support structure of an excavating machine, not otherwise shown. An axle ice assembly 11 fixedly connects the free ends of the arms 20 and carries the excavating wheel proper.

The latter mainly consists of two discs or side walls 1 which are approximately circular in shape and are coaxially mounted on the axle assembly 11. The side walls are fixedly connected in axially spaced relationship by two-peripherally mounted excavating blades 2 and by two pairs of spacer bars 4, 5. One bar 4 of each pair extends between radially projecting lugs on the rims of the walls 1, and the bar 5 is nearer the wheel axis.

A bevel gear rim 21 on one side wall 1 and a bevel gear 22 on a drive shaft 23 connect the wheel to a nonillustrated prime mover on the support structure of the machine. The wheel is driven in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 1. The spacer bar 5 and the blade 2 are angu-larly offset in the direction of wheel rotation relative to the associated bar 4.

A pliable bucket sheet 3 is pi-votally attached to each pair of spacer bars 4, 5 by sheet metal hinge plates 12. The length of the bucket sheet is much greater than the spacing of the bars 4, 5 so that the sheet 3 is normally slack and forms a bucket for receiving the material 24 excavated by the blades 2 from a body 25 of material in the usual manner.

The buckets are alternatingly .tensioned and slackened by two tension rolls 6 respectively received in the buckets. As best seen in FIG. 2, each roll 6 is rotatably mounted on a shaft 26 which axially projects from both ends of the roll. Each projecting end portion of the shaft 26 rotatably carries a cam follower wheel 7 and a guide wheel 8. The latter is confined in a U-shaped guide [channel 9 fixedly mounted on the inner face of a corresponding side wall 1, the two guide channels 9 on each wall 1 extending radially from the wheel axis in opposite directions.

The cam follower wheel 7 travels about the circumference of a cam 10 fixedly mounted on the axle assembly 11 when the wheel rotates about its axis. Two elongated locating plates 13 arranged on either side of the two tension rolls 6 have each three aligned openings. An end portion of a shaft 26 is received in each of the two openings near the ends of each plate, and the axle assembly 11 passes through the central opening 27 which is elongated to permit free radial movement of the plate 13 with the rolls 6 which are coupled by the plates 13 in such a manner that one must move radially outward when the other moves radially inward.

The afore-described apparatus operates as follows:

During each revolution of the wheel about its axis, the rolls 6 perform one reciprocating movement toward and away from the axle assembly 11. The bucket sheets 3 are tensioned when the associated roll 6 is near the axle, and are slack when the roll is near the rim of the wheel. The cams 10 are positioned in such a manner that the sheet slackens while receiving excavated material from the associated blade 2, and remains slack while lifting the material well above the level of the wheel axis.

As the bucket approaches its highest position, the roll 6 is moved radially toward the wheel axis so that the bucket sheet 3 is tensioned and the contents of the bucket are discharged by acceleration caused by bucket sheet tensioning and by centrifugal forces. A conveyor (not shown) may be mounted on the arms 20 to receive the discharged material and to carry it from the excavating zone in a manner known in itself.

Gravity and centrifugal forces shape the sheet 3 while loaded with material 24 in such a manner that it closes the bucket in a radially outward and in a downward direction, as is evident from FIG. 1. The bucket assumes the shape illustrated in the lower portion of FIG. 1 prior to receiving the excavated material, and as soon as the sheet 3 is slackened by the roll 6.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosure relates only to a preferred embodiment of the invention, and that it is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for the purpose of the disclosure which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Anexcavating wheel arrang ment comprising, in

combination:

(a) a support;

(b) two wall members mounted on said support for rotation about a common axis, said members being axially spaced from each other, each wall member having a circumferential rim portion spaced from said axis; v

() two circumferentially spaced pairs of spacer bars axially connecting said wall members, one spacer bar of each pair extending between the respective rim portions of said wall members, and the other member of the pair being spaced from said rim portions toward said axis;

(d) two bucket members at least partly consisting of pliable sheet material, each bucket member having two terminal portions respectively fastened to the two spacer bars of an associated pair, the length of the bucket member between said terminal portions thereof being substantially greater than the spacing of the associated spacer bars from each other, whereby said bucket member defines a bucket;

(e) drive means for rotating said wall members about said axis;

(f) tensioning means for cyclically tensioning and slackening each bucket member in response to rotation of said wall members, said tensioning means including (1) a tension roll received in each bucket, (2) guide means for guiding said roll in a radially extending path, and

a (3) actuating means for reciprocating said roll in said path in response to the rotation of said wall members in such a manner that the roll moves radially outward when the other roll moves radially inward; and

(g) an excavating tool on said rim'portions associated with each bucket member.

2. An arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein said guide means include a guide channel on a face of each wall member axially opposite the corresponding face of the other wall member, and two guide wheels on each tension roll respectively engaging said guide channels.

3. An arrangement as set forth in claim 2, wherein said guide channels are radially elongated.

4. An arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein said actuating means include a cam arrangement consisting of a cam member and a cam follower member, one of said members being fixedly fastened to said support and the other member being mounted on said tension roll.

5. An arrangement as set forth in claim 4, wherein said actuating means further include motion transmitting means connecting said tension rolls for joint movement in said paths thereof, said rolls being spaced from said axis in opposite radial directions.

6. An arrangement as set forth in claim 5, wherein said guide means include a radially elongated guide channel on a face of each wall member axially opposite the corresponding face of the other wall member, and two guide wheels on each tension roll respectively engaging said guide channels.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,313,051 4/1967 Sova 37189 ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner.

C. D. CROWDER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN EXCAVATING WHEEL ARRANGEMENT COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: (A) A SUPPORT; (B) TWO WALL MEMBERS MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT FOR ROTATION ABOUT A COMMON AXIS, SAID MEMBERS BEING AXIALLY SPACED FROM EACH OTHER, EACH WALL MEMBER HAVING A CIRCUMFERENTIAL RIM PORTION SPACED FROM SAID AXIS; (C) TWO CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED PAIRS OF SPACER BARS AXIALLY CONNECTING SAID WALL MEMBERS, ONE SPCARE BAR OF EACH PAR EXTENDING BETWEEN THE RESPECTIVE RIM PORTIONS OF SAID WALL MEMBERS, AND THE OTHER MEMBER OF THE PAIR BEING SPACED FROM SAID RIM PORTIONS TOWARD SAID AXIS; (D) TWO BUCKET MEMBERS AT LEAST PARTLY CONSISTING OF PLIABLE SHEET MATERIAL, EACH BUCKET MEMBER HAVING TWO TERMINAL PORTIONS RESPECTIVELY FASTENED TO THE TWO SPACER BARS OF AN ASSOCIATED PAIR, THE LENGTH OF THE BUCKET MEMBER BETWEEN SAID TERMINAL PORTIONS THEREOF BEING SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE SPACING OF 